Mitch Anderson
Sibling(s):	Alicia (sister)
Affiliation:	Habib Marwan's terrorist cell
Status:	Unknown
Played by:	Ned Vaughn
Season(s):	4
First episode:	"Day 4: 7:00pm-8:00pm"
Last episode:	"Day 4: 10:00pm-11:00pm"

Mitch Anderson was a former American Air Force officer turned mercenary who joined up with the terrorist cell of Habib Marwan. Disguised as an Air Force pilot, he stole a stealth fighter and shot down Air Force One as it approached Los Angeles during Day 4 .

Before Day 4 Edit

At some point in his life, Mitch shared an address with his sister Alicia for a number of years.

Mitch Anderson was in a military prison and became a hired mercenary after being dishonorably discharged from the military. He had been a mercenary for four years, and he lived with Aziz, another one of Habib Marwan's accomplices. By Day 4, his parents were both deceased.

Day 4 Edit

On Day 4, Habib Marwan called Mitch Anderson to ensure that he was ready for the next phase of Marwan's plan. Anderson assured Marwan that it would take him less than thirty minutes to reach his destination, and then he pulled an Air Force uniform out of his closet.

With the help of Nicole, he used John Hansen to get into the Air Force base. After getting onto the base, Anderson killed Hansen and contacted Marwan. Anderson took the man’s passcard and identification, and snipped one of the pilot's thumbs off with a pair of pliers. He then made his way through the next layer of security, passing Jones, a soldier at the base, on the way. After exchanging salutes, Jones left and Mitch used Hansen's severed thumb to verify his identity on a keypad, and pass through the security door.

Anderson's flight was grounded because of technical difficulties. He questioned the mechanic Lenkov, who informed Anderson that the broken part for the plane wouldn't be available until the morning. Since the mechanic hadn’t filed a report or notified the chief mechanic, Anderson murdered the mechanic and hid his body.

Anderson then posed as Lenkov by wearing his clothes, and told the chief mechanic, Horter, that the flight was cleared for takeoff and that the earlier difficulties were only a false alarm.

Marwan phoned Anderson again and found that Anderson has taken off in an F-117A stealth fighter jet. Anderson knew that the entire world would be looking for him and he asked Marwan to confirm that his cover has been established and that he would be assumed dead.

CTU figured out that Anderson had stolen the stealth jet and planned to shoot down Air Force One. Jack Bauer contacted Anderson using a recall frequency for the stealth bomber, but Anderson didn't respond to Jack's pleas. The renegade pilot was moved for only a brief moment when Jack offered to connect him to his sister, who had been informed of his actions and wanted to speak. Anderson turned off his receiver and Chloe O'Brian informed Jack that Anderson had severed communication. He then fired from his stealth plane and struck one of Air Force One's escort fighter jets, destroying it. The explosion severely damaged the President's plane, and it flew apart over the Mojave Desert and crash-landed. President Keeler was grievously injured during Anderson's attack.

Bill Buchanan reported that one of the jets accompanying Air Force One spotted the stealth fighter and successfully shot it down.

Background information and notes Edit

• Anderson's fate is unclear. When speaking to Marwan over his radio before the attack, he revealed a plan in which his death would be very convincingly faked. Marwan assured him this would occur, so it is conceivable that Anderson was prepared for being shot down. It is also possible that he did not expect the fighter escort to find him on such short notice, and was killed. No mention is made of Anderson parachuting out, and the character is never mentioned again in the series.
• According to 24: The Ultimate Guide, Anderson's body was never found.

Memorable quotes Edit

• Mitch Anderson: Your family is dead and so are you. ("Day 4: 8:00pm-9:00pm")

• Mitch Anderson: Get your things. We have a plane to catch. ("Day 4: 8:00pm-9:00pm")

• Mitch Anderson: Is my cover in place?
• Habib Marwan: I’ve told you before: yes, you’ll be 100% safe.
• Anderson: Marwan, they have to believe I’m dead.
• Marwan: They will. My people have taken care of this.
• Anderson: They'd better, because once this is done, the entire world will be looking for me. ("Day 4: 10:00pm-11:00pm")

Live appearancesEdit

See also Edit

Wiki 24 has a collection of images related to Mitch Anderson.